If there's one thing I like more than anything else
in life (Well, OK, there are several...) is when my passions cross
paths in order to create something truly special and unique. As a
toddler, I was introduced to Disney animation, and I have been a fan
since. Just watching the lush artistry of Sleeping Beauty,
the cuteness of Dumbo and the surreal nature of Alice in
Wonderland inspired me in such a way that it made me the
imaginative adult I am today. On the other side of the spectrum are
the Muppets. But unlike Disney (which I quickly warmed up to upon my
first viewing) they actually terrified me! The first Muppet movie I
saw as a kid on home video was The Muppets Take Manhattan.
The sight of Kermit the Frog scared me so badly that I ran away
crying and screaming from the house and into the other side of the
street! I had never seen a puppet before, so the sight of one nearly
traumatized me as a child. But as my parents slowly introduced me
other Muppets productions, I quickly warmed up to them, and before I
knew it, The Muppets Take Manhattan went from being the worst
'horror' movie I had ever seen to becoming my all-time favorite
Muppet film.

Once I got over my Muppet-fueled fears, anything
Muppet related would appeal to me in such a way that I HAD to watch
them. Muppet Babies, A Muppet Family Christmas, Sesame
Street, pretty much anything that featured the Jim Henson name was a
guaranteed hit for me... even Labyrinth, the epic fantasy
film starring David Bowie. But, where am I getting at with all of
this, exactly? Well, my two passions as a kid, Disney and Muppets,
did eventually cross paths and created a really fun, one of a kind
TV special: The Muppets at Walt Disney World.

Growing up, I had a somewhat
basic knowledge of what Walt Disney World was,
all thanks to various television specials that
either took place at Walt Disney World or told
the story of the theme park's inception. So when
I heard that the Muppets would be going to Walt
Disney World in a special I was more than
excited. Best of all, the special aired on a
holiday, so I could stay at home and watch it
live!

The basic story behind The Muppets at Walt Disney
World is that Kermit and the gang are visiting relatives at the
Florida swamps when they learn that Walt Disney World is right next
to them. In typical Muppet fashion, they sneak in and create havoc
throughout the various parks, while a security guard (played by
Charles Grodin) would try to capture them. Some would accuse this
special as trying to sell a Walt Disney World vacation to the
viewers, but I never saw it that way. In fact, the Muppets are
poking fun at the park in a very affectionate manner. Miss Piggy is
forced to ride the thrill rides (such as the original version of
Star Tours), much to her extreme discomfort, Rowlf gets stuck in the
pet care facility and Gonzo mistakes the laundry services as an
attraction. But easily the best is Animal chasing Snow White around
while yelling 'SNOW WHITE! SNOW WHITE! AAAHH!' The special does a
good job of showing us the wonders of the park while never feeling
like it is charming its way onto our wallets.

The most important scene in the whole special,
though, is when Kermit and friends get to meet Mickey Mouse.
Actually, Kermit has met Mickey before as they are both members of
FASA (Fictional Animal Stars of America). There, Kermit introduces
the Muppet gang to Mickey, and are asked to leave their names, hand
and foot prints at the Mann's Chinese Theater at Disney's MGM
Studios (now known as Disney Hollywood Studios). Right before the
scene happens, Mickey and Kermit exchange philosophies (Mickey's
'When you wish upon a star' and Kermit's 'The Rainbow Connection'),
and Mickey welcomes them to the Disney family.

Now, this is a very important scene as at the time
Disney was working with Jim Henson in order to acquire the Muppets
license and merge. While several things came out of the early
initiative (such as Muppet Vision 3-D, two theatrical Muppet films
and Muppets Tonight on ABC) the death of Jim Henson in the early 90s
prevented the deal to be fully completed, limiting the creative
efforts that would have been born out of such an ambitious deal.
This special represents the potential that such a creative
partnership would have yielded had it not been for Henson's passing.

Flash forward to 2004, and Disney has already
obtained the Muppet license. Since then, we have seen the first
three Muppets films under the Disney banner (as well as the two
Disney produced films) released on DVD, several hilarious internet
videos starring the Muppets, Jim Henson inducted as a Disney Legend,
and, the biggest one of all, the premiere of Disney'sThe
Muppets this week. It took them a long time to do it, but it
seems that the potential once presented in this television special
is finally going to become a reality.